RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1455

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2014 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  I own a copy of the children’s book entitled “Happy Hours in the Little People’s World.”  Does it have any value? – D, Janesville, WI

ANSWER:  J. A. & R. A. Reid of Providence, Rhode Island, published “Happy Hours in the Little People’s World: New and Old Jingles & Stories Prettily Pictured” in 1888/1891.  The 50-page book has black and white illustrations.

There was a thriving publishing industry in Providence, Rhode Island in the last decades of the 19th century and early decades of the 20th century.  J. A. and R. A. Reid began their operations in 1874.  An early advertisement noted the firm produced fine book work, catalogs, newspapers, railroad time tables, and sundry other printing.  The firm entered the book publishing business in 1884.

[For more information, see: http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-no97064973/ and http://rumble101.wordpress.com/tag/r-a-reid/]

If a children’s book contains illustrations, the fame of the illustrator or one of the illustrators impacts value.  “Happy Hours in the Little People’s World” illustrations include an example by Kate Greenaway, an illustrator who was very popular among late 20th century collectors but less so today.

Cover art also adds to value.  In this instance, the cover features a colorful lithograph of a boy wearing a blue shirt and a red hat.  A bonus, which gives the book regional values, is an advertisement for SIMONTON’S, a Rockland, Maine Dry Goods and General Merchandise store.  It is possible that Reid produced copies with other advertisements for other merchants/distributors depending on the amount of copies a merchant ordered.

In very good condition, the book sells in the $25.00 to $30.00 range.  In very fine condition, the value is doubled.

QUESTION:  I have a pair of round, three-dimensional, scenic, plaster wall plaques made by the Universal Statuary Corporation in Chicago and dated 1959.  #S569L depicts a woman spinning flax.  A baby cradle rests at her feet.  #569R shows a seated man smoking a pipe.  A dog rests at his feet. The base color of the plaques is gray.  Architectural elements and some objects are highlighted in gold.  The plaques are 12 inches in diameter and about 3 inches deep.  Each weighs around four pounds.  What is the value of my pair of plaques?  Is eBay the best place to sell them? – KJ, Belgrade, MT, Email Question

ANSWER:  Since the plaques have the same S569 inventory number, they were sold as a pair.  The “L” and “R” stand for left and right.  When hung this way, the viewer has the feeling that he/she is looking into an Early American parlor.

Brothers Jack and Leo Lucchesi established the Universal Statuary Corporation in the late 1930s or early 1940s.  Jack handled accounting and wholesale sales.  Leo was in charge of manufacturing.  The first products were ornamental and decorative objects with strong Italian design elements.  The company employed large numbers of Italian and Guatemalan immigrants, the latter the result of Jack’s wife being from Guatemala.

Universal Statuary’s first products included wall plaque pairs, such as Baby Laughing and Baby Crying, piggy banks, life-size Indian statues used to decorate western-theme restaurants, and statues.  Wall plaques with Early American colonial scenes were especially popular.  The company also did contract work for Sears Roebuck, Wards, and “point of sale” displays for advertising firms.

Universal Statuary’s first factory was located on Chicago Avenue.  When interest in plaster products gradually declined in the 1950s, Universal Statuary began experimenting with resin and other plastics.  This resulted in the establishment of a second factory on Odgen Avenue.

Universal did not sell direct to the public.  Rather, its products were sold by jobbers (independent sales representatives) using catalogs produced by the company.  Because of their weight, the jobbers were responsible for transporting the products to customers.

James L. Dorman purchased Universal Statuary Company from the Lucchesi family in 1980 and moved its headquarters to Milwaukee.  B. Paul Brueggemeir owned the company in 1995, ceasing operations when the Odgen plant was purchased for a town house complex.

[For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Statuary_Corp. and http://www.ebay.com/gds/A-SHORT-GUIDE-TO-THE-UNIVERSAL-STATUARY-CORPORATION-/10000000002845077/g.html.]

On December 6, 2014, eBay had 344 objects made by Universal Statuary Company listed for sale.  Among them was a pair of plaques identical to the pair that you own.  They had an opening bid request of $10.00.   There were no bidders, albeit the auction had six more days to go.  Based on other comparables, my best guess is that a bid of $25.00 would win the pair.  Buyers will bid low because shipping costs will be high.

You are better off attempting to sell the plaques locally.  My first recommendation is Craigslist.com.  Someone who is into 1950s kitsch or who is redecorating a home in a late 1950s or early 1960s look is your best prospect.  If you have a consignment shop in the area, talk with the owner.  They should appeal to a picker who is seeking merchandise for a “Modernist” dealer.  The third alternative is to set them aside for a garage sale.  Start them at $20.00 but take any offer above $10.00.  Any money is better than no money.

QUESTION:  While garage saleing, my husband and I came across a Heileman’s Old Style Lager painting featuring a rider on horseback riding away from the back of a covered wagon.  The artist’s first name is Walter, but I cannot decipher the last name.   We purchased the painting for $20.00.  I tried researching it but could not find any information.  Can you help? – TL, Chicago, IL, Email Question.

ANSWER:   At the time when your back bar advertising piece was produced, "Old Style Lager" was a product of the G. Heileman Brewing Co. of La Crosse, Wis. The G. Heileman Brewing Co., named for Gottlieb Heileman, one of the company's co-founders, operated from 1858 to 1996. It was Heileman's son-in-law and successor, Emil T. Mueller, who introduced Old Style Beer in 1902.

I am fairly certain your advertising sign is a lithograph print of a painting on paper or canvas rather than an actual painting. The photographs that accompanied your e-mail strongly suggest this. The image appears flat.  I do not see brush strokes or a three dimensional quality to the piece.

Like you, I was not able to identify the illustrator/artist’s name, even though you sent a nice detail of it.  I do not have a copy of Walt Reed’s “The Illustrator in America 1860-2000: The Society of Illustrators” reference book in my library.  Even if I did, I doubt I would find your artist covered in it.  “Walter Roed” (my best guess) is one of the thousands of undocumented commercial artists who worked for advertising firms.  Perhaps a "Rinker on Collectibles" reader can identify the illustrator/artist. If yes, email the information to harrylrinker@aol.com.  I will pass your thoughts along to TL.

The picture of the print that accompanied your letter suggests there are condition concerns.  First, the upper left corner appears to have some bug damage.  Second, the frame may not be period.  If it is not, then I am concerned that the print has been cut down to fit the frame.  Third, the print appears to not lie flat.

I was not able to find an identical picture of this advertising print on the Internet.  As a result, the issue of scarcity is unanswered.  Clearly, the print is not one of a kind.  There have to be Heileman’s collectors who own an example.  On a scarcity scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the hardest to find), I assign it a 4 or 5.

Based on this, your Heileman’s Old Style Lager advertising print has a value of between $100.00 and $125.00, not bad for a $20.00 investment.

QUESTION:  I have a copy of Fred T. Hodgson’s “Modern Carpentry” published by Frederick J. Drake & Company in 1937.   I realize the information is badly out of date.  Does it have any value? – J. Reading, PA

ANSWER:  The answer is yes but not because of the information.  Fred T. Hodgson (1836-1919) authored the first edition of “Modern Carpentry” in 1902.  Reprints and revisions continued long into the 20th century.  In 1938, the work was divided into two volumes.

The book contained over 50 illustrations and drawings for house plans.  The illustrations are very detailed.  A print seller would cut the book and sell the individual house prints between $5.00 and $8.00 without matting.  As a result, a copy of “Modern Carpentry” has a secondary market value of between $20.00 and $30.00.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Selected letters will be answered in this column.  Harry cannot provide personal answers.  Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned.  Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512.  You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?: HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of Random House Information Group, $17.99), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.